Eric Gerard Bruggink (born September 11, 1949) is a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the United States Court of Federal Claims, having served as an active member of that court from 1986 to 2001.

Early life, education, and career

Born in Kalidjati, West Java, Indonesia, Bruggink became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1960.Court of Federal Claims biography of Eric G. Bruggink
He received a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

in 1971, cum laude, an Master of Arts in speech from that institution the following year, and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1975, where he was a Hugo Black Scholar and Note and Comments Editor of the Alabama Law Review. He was a

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

to Judge

Frank Hampton McFadden Frank Hampton McFadden (November 20, 1925 – December 28, 2020) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama and later an attorney in private practice. Education and career B ...

of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama from 1975 to 1976, and then entered private practice as an associate with the firm of Hardwick, Hause & Segrest in Dothan, Alabama from 1976 to 1977. He was an assistant director of the Alabama Law Institute from 1977 to 1979, during which time he established the Office of Energy and Environmental Law and served as its first director. He then returned to private practice as an associate with the law firm of Steiner, Crum & Baker in Montgomery, Alabama until 1982. Bruggink was appointed Director, Office of Appeals Counsel of the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board in November 1982, and served in that position until his appointment as judge of the Court of Federal Claims.

Claims court service

On January 21, 1986, Bruggink was nominated by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

to what was then the United States Claims Court, to a seat vacated by Harry Eugene Wood. Bruggink was confirmed by the Senate on April 15, 1986, and received his commission on April 16, 1986. He entered into duty on April 21, 1986, and assumed senior status on April 16, 2001.

Personal life

Bruggink married the former Melinda Harris, with whom he has two sons, John and David. He speaks Dutch, from his Indonesian upbringing. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, and the Federal Circuit Bar.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruggink, Eric G. 1949 births Living people 20th-century American judges Auburn University alumni Judges of the United States Court of Federal Claims People from West Java United States Article I federal judges appointed by Ronald Reagan University of Alabama School of Law alumni 21st-century American judges